Dark Prince
by Ying of the Ying Yang Twins
Summary: A short story about the meeting of a demon and a shy girl. I'm not good with summaries...Ryosaku
1. Chapter 1

In the deep forest behind the private school Seigaku, it is rumored that a strong demon lives there with his other followers in a medival castle which can only be seen by others with the same blood. Although it is a rumor there has been cases in which a human with supernatural powers was reported. This reputation led it to being one of the 7 mysteries of Seigaku High School.

"Hey Sakuno! Do you want to come with me to the new cafe today? I heard they are going to give everything for free since it's their opening day. We have to hurry if we want to get some." said Tomoka

"Um sure...I have to tell my grandma first before i go." Sakuno said

As Tomoka and Sakuno waited on the long line afterschool, Tomoka started getting restlesss.

"Oh my god! How long is this line?!" said Tomoka

"I can hold your spot if you want to sit down" said Sakuno

"No that wouldn't be right. You're such a goody too shoes. No wonder people call you a push over."

"It's alright, as long as I can be of help"

"Omg you're just too cute!" Tomoka said as she hugged Sakuno

While Tomoka was squeezing Sakuno, Sakuno caught a glimpse of a dark figure running past by her. A couple of seconds later a huge wind had passed by.

"Whoa, where did that come from?" Tomoka said

"Ahhhh! All the sweets are missing!" said the clerk "What are we going to do?"

"What else are we going to do, we have to send the customers away. That was the last batch." said the manager

The crowd was sent away with a lot of complaints while the employees apologized to each one.

"Well what do you want to do now?" said Tomoka

"I think we should go home. It's getting late" said Sakuno

"Oh alright. See you tomorrow Sakuno" Tomoka said while waving her hand

As Sakuno walked by herself alone, a dark figure stood on a tree watching her.

"Sakuno, huh"


	2. Chapter 2

Back in the castle

"What took you so long?! It's been 3 hours!" Eiji said

"Sorry. I got distracted." Ryoma said "I don't understand your fascination with these things anyway" Ryoma said as he threw a huge bag at Eiji

"Wow, you got a lot. I'll forgive you this time." Eiji said smiling while opening the bag

"So what got you distracted?" Momoshiro asked

"Nothing much..." Ryoma said

"Huh? What does that mean? Do you mean a girl?!" Momoshiro asked surprised

"Hn..." Ryoma said as he walked away

Back at school

"Yesterday was wierd right?" said Tomoka "How can there be no more candy left when there was a whole bunch a couple of minutes ago?"

"Maybe it has something to do with that big wind...." Sakuno said

"How would that make sense? You mean the wind blew all the candy away and left everything else in its place?" Tomoka said sarcastically

"Never mind I was just saying nonsense..." Sakuno said

"Do you want to go home with me today afterschool?" Tomoka asked

"I can't. I have a meeting to go to." Sakuno said sympathetic "I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you."

"Oh yea I forgot that you were the class representative. Don't worry about it." Tomoka said

"Sorry..." Sakuno said while looking at the floor

"If you feel that bad just make me a bento for tomorrow." Tomoka said smiling

"Okay" Sakuno said as she smiled along with her

As the day went on Sakuno got ready to leave from the auditorium. She was the last to leave because was replacing the person in charge of cleaning up.

"I got to hurry or else grandma will yell at me." Sakuno said as she rushed through the gate

As Sakuno ran through the usual path to go home another path suddenly opened.

"Has this always been here?" Sakuno thought "Maybe it's a shortcut..."

Sakuno took the path which led to the rumored woods lured by curiosity. Although she couldn't see it, there were many demons watching her.

"This path is so long, I can't seem to find the exit..." Sakuno thought

The wind blew hard, chilling Sakuno's bones. She continued walking even though her hunger started getting worse. Sakuno sat down to rest before she fainted. As she started falling asleep a dark figure appeared before her.

"Hey you, get up" Ryoma said

"Huh?" Sakuno said still in a daze

"I said get up. Go back to where you came from before the others get to you." Ryoma said

"What do you mean others?" Sakuno asked

"Do you really want to know?" Ryoma said as his eyes glowed with an unnatural gold

Sakuno fainted, shocked by the faces appearing behind Ryoma

"Ugh… such a nuisance" Ryoma said as he carried her to take her back outside

Before Ryoma let go of Sakuno at the bench, Sakuno caught a glimpse of the dark figure and fell back asleep.

Back in the castle

"I saw what you did." Tezuka said "Why did you let that girl go"

"She interests me" Ryoma said

"If the humans discover us, they will kill us just like our ancestors." Tezuka said sternly

"Don't worry. The castle has a force field. If for some reason they did find us, I'll erase their memory." Ryoma said

"I know you're bored being cooped up here for centuries, but don't get too serious with her." Tezuka said as he walked away "And don't forget to sleep. You have school tomorrow."

At the bench 3 in the morning

"Uhh…what was I doing?" Sakuno said confused as she woke up "Oh no I'm going to be late!" she said as she looked at her watch


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for your reviews so far. I m new at this so it might not be that great. Thanks for your support. ^_^ ============================================================================

At Sakuno's house in the morning

"Where were you last night?! Why did you come home so late?" her grandma said

"Sorry grandma..." Sakuno said

"If this happens again I won t let you off so easily." said the grandma "Now go get dressed"

"What was I doing last night? Every time I try to remember I only get an image of that face." Sakuno thought as she walked to her room

At homeroom

"Hey Sakuno" Tomoka said as she waved her hand from afar

"Hey..." Sakuno said depressed

"What happened?" Tomoka asked

"I got yelled at by my grandma because I came home too late" Sakuno said

"What time did you get home?" Tomoka asked

"I don t know...around 3 a.m.?" Sakuno said

"Whoa! What were you doing afterschool?" Tomoka asked

"I don t know...I just remember waking up on the bench in front of the school." Sakuno said

**** Bell Rings******

"Talk to you later the teacher is coming" Sakuno said

Sakuno walked to her seat and suddenly fell down. As she looked around at what she tripped on she saw someone's leg was extended all the way.

"Sorry." Sakuno said as she got up

The boy looked up at her and went back to sleep. At that moment Sakuno recognized that those were the very same eyes that she saw last night.

"Could he be that person in my dream? No, it couldn t be.." Sakuno thought to herself

"Here are some surveys you have to fill out about what you want to do in your future. Ryuzaki could you help me hand these out?" the teacher said

"Hai sensei" Sakuno said as she got up

"Echizen wake up!" the teacher said as he threw a chalk piece at him "You need to fill these out too."

Ryoma sat up and grumbled for being disturbed. Sakuno approached Ryoma as she handed the paper to him. Sakuno stared at Ryoma amazed at the resemblance he had with the person with golden eyes. Ryoma glanced back at Sakuno, but Sakuno quickly turned her head away and continued handing out the papers.

"So his name is Echizen..." Sakuno thought

After class Sakuno was about to head out to have lunch in the school yard with Tomoka until the teacher stopped to talk with her.

"Ryuzaki, you're one of my top students and I know you're a good student and you care for your classmates, so I would like to ask a favor from you." Said the teacher

"Okay..." Sakuno said

"Could you look after Echizen and make sure he does his work? He won't be able to pass because he does no class work and his test grades aren't that great. I tried talking with him but he just nods his head and leaves." The teacher said "Maybe he'll respond better with someone near his age."

"I've never talked with him, so I'm not sure I can do much" Sakuno said

"It's alright, I'm sure you can do it if you try." The teacher said

"Okay..." Sakuno said


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry I didn't update sooner. I was busy with errands

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Ryoma-kun...." Sakuno said as she stood next to his desk

"What?" Ryoma mumbled with his head face down, covered by his arms

"The teacher told me to help you with your studies..." Sakuno said

"Okay..." Ryoma said nonchalantly

"Umm....aren't you going to sit up?" Sakuno said

"Can't you just say you did it and leave at that?" Ryoma said as he put his head on his palm

"But...." Sakuno said

"Look no one is going to care. Go somewhere else and let me sleep." Ryoma said annoyed

"I can't do that...it's my duty as class representative to help my fellow classmates." Sakuno said shyly

"You're not going leave me alone are you?" Ryoma said as he sat up "Whatever, let's just get this over with."

"What subjects do you need help with?" Sakuno said as she pulled a chair up

"Nothing really ..." Ryoma said

"Uh......" Sakuno replied dumbfounded "Then how come your test grades are so low?"

"I just don't care about it." Ryoma said "I already went to college anyway..." he said under his breath

"What?" Sakuno asked

"Uh...nothing" Ryoma said "So are we done here?"

"But we didn't do anything yet..." Sakuno said

Before Sakuno could object Ryoma went back to sleep.

"What am I going to do with him?" Sakuno thought with worry

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Next Day:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Ryoma-kun" Sakuno said standing next to his desk

"Oh, it's you again...." Ryoma said as he took a glimpse of her through a crack in his arms

"Ummm...I thought that we should at least accomplish something today." Sakuno said

"Aren't you tired?" Ryoma asked

"Of what?" Sakuno said

"Of always doing what people tell you to do." Ryoma said

"What do you mean?" Sakuno asked

"Well, if someone asked you to do their cleaning duties I bet you would say yes." Ryoma said

"......" Sakuno replied unable to answer

"I'm right aren't I?" Ryoma asked

"And what's so wrong with it?" Sakuno said

"Nothing, except that fact that it makes you a slave." Ryoma said

"I'm just trying to help..." Sakuno mumbled

"Well I don't really care" Ryoma said as he stood up "If you have nothing else to say I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Or would you like to help me with that too?"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::At Sakuno's House:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Hey Tomoka do you think I'm a slave?" Sakuno asked over the phone

"No. Who told you that?" Tomoka said

"No one special...." Sakuno said

"Don't mind them, they're not that important anyway." Tomoka said

"This maybe my first time saying this but I think I dislike him..." Sakuno said

"Wow that really is your first time saying that" Tomoka said surprised "Maybe you should confront him"

"I don't know. It's not like I'll see him that much...." Sakuno said

"If he gives you any more trouble just tell me and I'll handle it." Tomoka asked

"I don't know....I'll think about it..." Sakuno said


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews guys. I'll try to improve with your suggestions.

At homeroom

"Now that that annoying girl is out of the way I can finally sleep." Ryoma said as he went to his seat

"Who are you talking about?" Eiji said as he popped out from behind Ryoma "Is it Sakuno chan? The one you're interested in?"

"I'm only interested in why she was able to see me when I wasn't revealing my presence. I don't have to be nice to be able to observe her." Ryoma said

"Awww how boring" Eiji said as he pouted

"Now go back to your seat and leave me alone" Ryoma said as he put his head down

"Speak of the devil it's Sakuno chan" Eiji said

As Sakuno walked in she saw Ryoma sleeping and Eiji waving at her. Sakuno turned around and ignored them since she wasn't sure how to act around Ryoma. Sakuno stood still as she contemplated whether she would ignore Ryoma's existence as much as possible for the rest of the semester or confront someone for the first time.

"What are you doing?" Tomoka asked

"Ah!" Sakuno shouted surprised "You scared me."

"I was standing in front of you for quite a while." Tomoka said

"Sorry." Sakuno said "I was just thinking if I should talk to the guy like you said yesterday"

"He's in this class?! Who is he? Where does he sit?" Tomoka asked curiously

"The one sleeping over there" Sakuno said as she pointed secretly

"Oh, he's not that bad looking." Tomoka said as she checked Ryoma out

"He's not as nice as he looks." Sakuno mumbled

"Then why don't you go confront him?" Tomoka said while pushing Sakuno to Ryoma's desk

"What? No!" Sakuno said as she banged into Ryoma's desk

"Ow!" Ryoma said when the desk hit his stomach

"There are better ways of getting people's attention" Ryoma said as he rubbed his stomach while looking at Sakuno

Sakuno stood there in a daze in front of Ryoma not knowing what to say. Sakuno's heart beated faster and faster since she knew she looked like a fool. In the end she said whatever was on her mind.

"I don't like you." Sakuno said "But I won't stop tutoring you since you seem to need the help"

"So if I get 100 on all my tests will you leave me alone?" Ryoma asked

"I guess so..." Sakuno said

"Until the tests comes let me study by myself. If I don't pass with a 100 on all the tests I'll let you do what you want" Ryoma said

"Sure" Sakuno said surprised

And so the days passed by peacefully for Ryoma until one fateful day.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry I didn't update for a long time

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

One dark and rainy night Sakuno walked home by herself after doing errands for her grandmother. Along Sakuno's way home she found an alley cat bleeding on the street. Like most of the abandoned animals she sees, she brings them to her home.

"I'm home" Sakuno said as she took off her shoes "Where's the first aid kit?"

"It's in the bottom drawer in the kitchen." Her grandmother said "Why do you need it?"

"For the black cat that I found" Sakuno said

"After you treat it make sure to find its owner or get it a new one. We don't have enough time to take care of it ourselves." Her grandma said

"Okay…" Sakuno said disappointed

Sakuno carried the unconscious cat into her room so that she could check out its wounds more carefully. However, by the time she reached her room the wounds miraculously disappeared while it was still sleeping.

"Now, lets see where you're hurt." Sakuno said as she looked through its fur "That's weird…there's blood but no flesh."

Sakuno decided to take a bath and change and wash the cat later after it had woken up. As Sakuno was taking a shower the cat slowly opened its eyes.

"Where the heck am I?" Ryoma said still in a daze "I should've never taken that shortcut through the bushes"

"Oh you're awake" Sakuno said as she walked in drying her hair with a towel

"Oh great it's her again" Ryoma thought sarcastically

"Time for your bath" Sakuno said as she picked Ryoma up

"Let go of me. I can do it myself" Ryoma meowed as he fidgeted in Sakuno's arms

"Calm down, you're going to hurt yourself more." Sakuno said as she held onto Ryoma tighter

"More like you're the one who's hurting me" Ryoma thought as he stayed still in pain

Ryoma obediently listened to Sakuno considering his size and the fact that there was a tub full of water with only Sakuno's hands to support him. After his bath Sakuno placed him on her bed.

"Maybe this situation isn't as bad as I thought it was. It would be easier to observe her daily habits like this." Ryoma thought

"Your eyes look really similar to Ryoma kun's." Sakuno said as she stared at Ryoma "He's such an arrogant person despite the fact that he might be held back a year. Just thinking of him annoys me!"

"Well I'm not the one talking to a cat." Ryoma thought

"And he always seems to be sleeping everyday. It's as if he sleeps in the day and stays up at night. I wonder if he'll be able to take the tests tomorrow like that." Sakuno said "I guess I'll call you Sleeping Beauty then"

Ryoma looked at her in horror

"No, more like Ponta" Sakuno said

"Isn't that a drink?" Ryoma thought

"Wait here until I get you your food, Ponta" Sakuno said as she got up

As Ryoma sat there alone he began to think to himself

"I should probably go back home. It would be weird if the others found out I stayed out a whole night" Ryoma thought jumping out the window

"Ponta I got some milk" Sakuno said as she walked in "Ponta? Where are you?"

Sakuno rushed downstairs to look for Ponta to no prevail.

"Obaa san did you see the cat I brought home around here?" Sakuno asked

"Nope" Her grandmother said "Did you lose it already?"

"I'm going to go out to look for him" Sakuno said as she shut the door behind her

Although Sakuno couldn't find any wounds on the cat, she felt that it was still not strong enough to go back out in the streets where there were wild dogs and cats, especially after finding it lying on the ground by itself. After walking around almost everywhere Sakuno found Ponta walking near the school.

"Ponta!" Sakuno shouted in glee "You shouldn't leave like that, you aren't fully healed yet"

"How in the world did she find me?" Ryoma thought

As Sakuno crossed the street, a car swerved heading towards her. Sakuno stood still staring blankly at the speeding car. As the car screeched, Sakuno was on the other side of the street in Ryoma's arms unconscious.

"What a troublemaker. She should worry more about herself." Ryoma said as he stared at her

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: A week later:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Okay everyone settle down. Today is the day when you get your midterm results back. When I call your name come up." The teacher said

After everyone had gotten their grades back Sakuno went to Ryoma's seat to wake him up and get his results.

"What did you get?" Sakuno said as she tapped his head

Ryoma pushed the paper out from under his arms and continued sleeping

"Wow you really did get 100 in everything" Sakuno said looking at the paper "Wait…it seems you got 65 in math. I guess that means I'm still your tutor."


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry I didn't update. A lot of things were happening at home.

In the auditorium during the student council meeting

"I shouldn't have eaten that mystery stew from Tomoka. When is this meeting going to end?" Sakuno thought, holding her stomache

"And so that will end today's meeting" the student coucil president said

Sakuno walked out of the room, sweating and went straight home, leaving most of the papers at her desk.

Sakuno ran passed her grandmother and went straight to the bathroom

"Don't run in the house" her grandmother said

After vomiting in the bathroom Sakuno went to her room to change and start her homework.

"Oh no I left the handouts at school" Sakuno said, searching through her bag "What am I going to do? I need to give those out to the class."

At that moment Ponta came through Sakuno's window like every other night and sat on her bed.

"What should I do Ponta?" Sakuno said as she grabbed him and put him on her lap "I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow and ask for another copy"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Back at the castle later that night:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Ryoma, where did you go? You're going out more than usual these days" Momo said

"Nowhere special" Ryoma said as he went to his room

"He must have a girlfriend." Momo said smirking "That would explain why he smells like strawberry shampoo whenever he comes home."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The Next Day:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Sakuno I heard that Atobe senpai dumped another girl this morning" Tomoka said as she walked with Sakuno in the hall

"Who is he again?" Sakuno said

"You mean you don't know who the most popular guy in this school is?! Isn't he also in the student council?"

"I'm not good with names…I just remember faces" Sakuno said as she opened the door to their classroom

"I guess that's alright. You don't want to get too close with him or else you will get harassed by his fan club. It includes about 50 percent of the female student body"

"Wow he's pretty popular"

"Speak of the devil." Tomoka said, looking at the door

"Excuse me; do any of you cute ladies know where Ryuzaki Sakuno is?" Atobe said, posing at the entranceway

"Umm…I am Ryuzaki Sakuno" Sakuno said as she shyly raised her hand

"You left your handouts on your desk yesterday. The president told me to hand it to you"

"Oh thank goodness I thought I lost it" Sakuno said smiling

"No problem kitten." Atobe said, handing the papers to her

As Sakuno was talking to Atobe the other girls in the class were murmuring about Sakuno and cursing her behind her back.

"Who does she think she is smiling at Atobe sama" one girl said

"Yea what a slut, Atobe sama is too good for her" another girl said

While the girls were yapping away Ryoma overheard everything that they were saying.

"You should watch Sakuno chan more carefully now. She might get bullied" Eiji said crouching near Ryoma's desk "You're not even listening to me are you…."

Sakuno walked back to her seat and looked through the papers to see if everything was there. At the end of the bulk of papers there were some love letters to Atobe that got mixed in with the handouts.

"I should give these back to Atobe senpai." Sakuno thought "I'll go look for him during break"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Later that day:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Atobe sama, I..I..li…LIKE YOU" a rich looking girl said

"I know. It must be hard not to fall in love with all this but I can't commit to one girl or else everyone would be sad." Atobe said

"Atobe senpai you left some papers in my handouts" Sakuno said as she went over to Atobe "Oh sorry… was I interrupting?"

"No we were just finishing." Atobe said "You went out of your way to just give me these. Thanks kitten" he said, walking away with Sakuno

"Damn that girl! If she wasn't there Atobe sama would've said 'yes'." The rich girl said, glaring at Sakuno "You've made the wrong person angry"

Little did Atobe know how crazy and possessive that girl was. Now Sakuno would pay the price…

Later that day as Sakuno walked home alone, a group of men in black kidnapped her.

"Sakuno is late coming home…" Ryoma said as he sat in Sakuno's room in his cat form "Maybe she's actually doing something besides studying, eating and sleeping. Could it be the reason why she could see me that day? I guess I'll go look for her" he thought

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Inside a dungeon in a mansion:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Where am I? Why's it so dark in here?" Sakuno said as began to wake up from unconsciousness

"You finally woke up." A girl dressed in a fancy dress said as she walked out from the darkness

"Who are you?" Sakuno asked

"You can call me Jack the Ripper" she said smiling crazily

"Wasn't he a serial killer? Does that mean she's going to kill me?!" Sakuno thought "This girl is nuts I gotta get out of here"

Sakuno couldn't move since she was tied to a chair. Sakuno tried to free herself by moving her hands to make the rope loose.

"You shouldn't move too much. That rope is made from steel threads. If you make a wrong move you could cut your artery."

"Why are you doing this to me? What did I do to you?"

"You stole my man away from me. As punishment I'll cut your ugly face into tiny pieces" she said, holding the knife onto Sakuno's face

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Don't play dumb with me. Atobe sama. Remember him?!"

"I don't even know him!"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it!" she said as she sliced Sakuno's face "You really piss me off. How about I gouge out your eye next?" she said, licking the knife

Sakuno trembled from fear as she felt the cool blade on her face. Sakuno tried moving away from her but the chair was stuck to the floor. The only option Sakuno could think of now was to yell.

"HELPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!" Sakuno shouted

From a distance Ryoma's cat ears heard Sakuno.

"That was Sakuno's voice! She sounds scared…" Ryoma thought as he transformed into his real form

"Ha ha ha ha, screaming won't help. We're miles away from the city."

"I wish I could've at least said good bye to my grandma, Tomoka and Ponta" Sakuno thought as she started crying

*BOOM* the wall suddenly went down.

"What the…who goes there?!"

"You're worst nightmare." Ryoma said as he walked through the rumbles

"That guy that was in my dreams! What is he doing here?" Sakuno thought

"Little girls shouldn't play with knives" Ryoma said as he bended the blade in half with two fingers "I'll be taking what's mine if you don't mind" he said as he cut the steel threads with his finger

"What are you doing?! She's my prey!" she said as she tried to cut Ryoma with a butcher knife

"That butter knife won't hurt me. Be a good girl and shut up." Ryoma said as he tied her up with the steel threads "The cops should be coming soon to get you"

Ryoma carried Sakuno in his arms and left the dungeon

"Have I seen you before?" Sakuno asked him

"We've met." Ryoma said

"I'm not sure who you are but…thank you" Sakuno said as she hugged him about to burst and cry

"Uh...yea" Ryoma said

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Next Day ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Sakuno! Are you alright?" Tomoka said running to her after seeing her bandages

"I'm fine." Sakuno said smiling

"What happened?" Tomoka asked worried

"Crazy fan girls..."

"Huh? You mean those fan girls actually tried to hurt you?!"

As Tomoka and Sakuno walked into the classroom Sakuno saw Ryoma sleeping as usual but this time something made her heart thump a little...


	8. Chapter 8

Can't wait to read your reviews!

Chapter 8

In the classroom, Sakuno was sitting down with Ryoma to explain the previous day's lesson. Apparently Ryoma slept through the whole day and missed it.

"And so if you remember the term SOHCAHTOA, it'll be easier to do the problems. Now you try" Sakuno said as she pushed the workbook to Ryoma

As Sakuno turned to Ryoma, he seemed to have a glowing presence. Everything about Ryoma was glorified in Sakuno's point of view. The pencil that Sakuno held dropped onto the floor as she stared at Ryoma in awe.

Ryoma reached for the pencil and gently brushed his hair against her cheek as he went down. Sakuno became flustered and blushed from the physical contact.

"Here" Ryoma said as he handed the pencil to Sakuno

Sakuno immediately stood up and left the room to go to the bathroom.

"What is wrong with me?" Sakuno said as she looked at the mirror and touched her face "Am I getting sick?"

At the end of the day Sakuno went to the nurse office to ask about her symptoms.

"Excuse me" Sakuno said, knocking on the door "Is anyone here?"

"Yes. Can I help you?" the nurse said as she came out from the closet

"I'm not feeling very well. I think I might be coming on with a cold"

"Does your nose feel congested?"

"No, but I find it hard to breathe and my heart would beat really fast sometimes"

"Did you eat anything weird?"

"Well…I ate some mystery stew that I got from my friend yesterday"

"It's probably your body trying to get rid of the toxins. Just drink plenty of water. If it gets any worse I want you to go to the doctor."

"Okay, thank you" Sakuno said, getting up to go back to the classroom to get her stuff

Around that time Ryoma was exiting from the entranceway and was heading home. Since his castle was a few blocks from school he decided to walk half way there. On his way home a tough looking group from the nearby industrial high school approached Ryoma and bumped his shoulder.

"Hey watch it kid" he said, looking down on Ryoma "You broke my shoulder!"

"And what do you want me to do about it?" Ryoma said

"Huhhhh? Give me money for my medical bills." He said as he grabbed Ryoma's collar and put him up against the wall

"It's not my fault. You're the one who charged into me." Ryoma said unfazed

"Can you believe this kid" he said, looking back at one of his friends "Give me the money or I'll take it from you"

The thug pushed his brass knuckles against Ryoma's cheek. As he was doing this, his friends were getting riled up behind him. Accidentally, one of the friends pushed him and pierced the brass knuckle into his cheek.

"Holy shit!" he said "Look at what you did!"

"What are we going to do?!" his friend said

"Pull it out!" his other friend said

As the thug pulled it out Ryoma groaned a bit. Sakuno came around the corner and saw a group of men surrounding Ryoma. Sakuno stood there shocked and didn't know what to do, until she saw his blood.

"Hey what are you doing?!" Sakuno shouted

"Run for it!" he shouted to his friends

Sakuno ran to Ryoma and took out her handkerchief to place it on his wound. Thanks to Ryoma's fast recovery the hole in his cheek just became a scratch.

"What happened?" Sakuno asked concerned

"They were picking a fight with me so I thought I'd teach them a lesson"

"Then you should run away! Why did you even bother with them?! What would you do if they really hurted you?!"

Ryoma stared at her confused. In all his life no one asked him if he was hurt since he was always stronger than everyone else. Ryoma suddenly laughed at the irony.

"I'm not weak enough to need your concern" Ryoma said "But thanks for your concern" he said as he patted Sakuno's head as he walked past her

Sakuno blushed yet again as Ryoma left her standing there.

*incho* = I was trying to write class representative in Japanese but I forgot how to write it so I just sounded it out.


	9. Chapter 9

I'm apologizing before hand for misspelling some of the Japanese words… XP

Chapter 9

==========================================================Friday in Sakuno's house==========================================================

"Tadaima" Sakuno said as she took off her shoes and headed to her room

"Sakuno" her grandmother said "Have you found an owner for the cat you brought home yet? It's been 2 weeks"

"No…I'm still looking"

"Make sure you find one before the end of this week or else I'll take it to an adoption center. We can't keep having the cat coming in whenever it wants."

"Why can't I keep him? I've been taking good care of him so far…"

"That's only because it never stays"

"If I show you that I can take care of him by myself will you let me keep him?"

Sakuno's grandmother looked at Sakuno's hopeful eyes and decided to give her a chance since this was the first time Sakuno ever opposed her decision.

"I'll give you a week. If it doesn't get in my way and cause problems I'll let you keep it. But if it does, it's straight to the center."

"Thank you, obaa chan!" Sakuno said gleefully

Sakuno entered her room and just as she suspected, Ponta was sitting on her bed. Sakuno sat next to him and petted his head.

"For this week I need you to behave so that obaa chan will let you stay here. Don't cause any trouble for me, okay?"

"Let me stay? Who does she think she is? I'm the king of all demons; I can do whatever I want." Ryoma thought

The following morning Sakuno's grandma came downstairs and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. As she stepped into the room it was in a mess and Ryoma was at the center.

"Sakuno!" the grandma shouted "Get down here now!"

Sakuno hurried down the stairs thinking that her grandmother was in trouble.

"What is it?" Sakuno said

"What is going on here?"

As Sakuno entered and examined the room, her blood turned cold. She remained silent since there was no satisfying answer she could give to her grandma.

"Sakuno, you know what this means. I'm taking it to the center tomorrow as I told you before."

"No! Give me another chance. Please!" Sakuno said, holding onto her grandmother's arm

The grandma looked at Sakuno and pitied her "I'll give you one more chance…"

====================================================The next morning at school==============================================================

"Whatcha reading?" Tomoka asked Sakuno

"A Dummies Guide to Cats"

"I never knew you had a cat." Tomoka said "What do you need that for anyway?"

"To tame an alley cat I brought home"

"Hey, why don't you try out a new device my father brought from an infomercial? It's supposed to be able to tame any kind of animal."

"You'll give it to me?"

"Sure why not. We're not using it anyway. How about you come over and pick it up from my house today"

"Thank you Tomoka!"

===============================================================Afterschool at Tomoka's Room=================================================

"Here you go" Tomoka said

"How does this work?"

"You let your pet eat this pill and then put the knob at the right setting according to your pet. It's supposed to shoot out electric currents through the body using the chemicals in the pill. You don't even have to be near them when you use it since each remote is specific to the pet you give the pill to. If you do it enough it'll learn what's right and wrong. It has other features to it also."

"Is this safe?" Sakuno asked, worried

"I guess so…" Tomoka said "They wouldn't make devices that would kill your pet or else they would've went bankrupt"

"Thanks, I owe you one."

"Don't worry about it"

Sakuno headed home to test it out. Just as expected Ryoma was acting as stubborn as ever. He was sitting on the couch, leaving a lot of pet dander. Sakuno took out the box it was packaged in and put the pill in his food.

"What the hell is she doing?" Ryoma thought, after hearing clanging noises from the kitchen

"Eat up its really delicious" Sakuno said, walking towards him

Ryoma leaned in and sniffed it but it was not a pleasing smell. Ryoma backed away and continued to lie on the couch.

"I made it just for you" Sakuno said alluringly

"…..well since she made it for me I guess I have no choice but to eat it" Ryoma said smiling a little

After Ryoma finished eating, Sakuno turned a complete 360.

"Down, kitty" Sakuno said, pointing to the ground

"What's up with her?" Ryoma thought

Ryoma ignored her and continued watching the TV.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this" Sakuno said as she turned the dial to "cat" and closed her eyes as she pressed the button

Ryoma felt a tingling sensation and jumped a little bit from the surprise.

"Eh? Is it not working?" Sakuno said tapping the remote

Sakuno resetted the remote and placed the dial on "cat" again. But just like the last time there was no reaction.

"Should I make it stronger?" Sakuno said, turning the dial to "dog"

Sakuno continued turning up the dial as Ryoma had no reaction each time. After a couple of minutes Sakuno was at the highest level, an elephant. Ryoma moved around since the electricity started to get uncomfortable.

"Finally, a reaction" Sakuno mumbled "Get off the couch" Sakuno said, pointing towards the ground again

Ryoma remained at his spot, stubborn because of his pride. He was taught never to take orders from anyone especially a human girl.

"If you don't get down, I'm going to be forced to go up a notch"

The last level was set for unknown creatures that had no effect to the others. It had enough power to paralyze a whale. The shock set Ryoma flying off the couch.

"So you want to challenge me?" Ryoma thought, although still in a little pain

Ryoma jumped back up on the couch and rolled around. As the couch got dirtier Sakuno got more agitated since she was going to be the one who had to clean up after him. Luckily her grandma was at Seigaku couching the tennis team. Sakuno tried pushing Ryoma off the couch but he clung onto it with him claws. Sakuno pushed the button again as a final approach and sent him flying. The power struggle went on for 2 hours. Ryoma finally got tired and couldn't move from the ground.

"Che, you win this time" Ryoma said before he fainted

Sakuno took his body to her room and put him in the bed she had made for him to clean up the mess before her grandma returned.

====================================================================Next Day at school====================================================

"Hey did you use it yet?" Tomoka asked

"Yea" Sakuno replied

"Is it helping you?"

"I guess so…but I kinda feel bad training him this way."

"Don't worry; it'll benefit him in the end."

"So what is the key word you use to make him obey?"

"I'm not sure… I guess it's "Down""

A crashing sound was suddenly heard at that same moment. Ryoma was sitting on the ground with his chair toppled over.

"What's wrong?" Eiji said to Ryoma

"I don't know, my body just moved on its own…" Ryoma said


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"You should sleep more carefully or else you might really hurt yourself one day" Eiji said laughing to cover up for Ryoma

Ryoma stared blankly into space wondering what just happened to him. He tried to think of all the reasons why his body would react this way from spells to sleeping habits but nothing made sense. As a demon king how was it possible that his body would be so weak to collapse out of the blue. Ryoma went back to his sleeping position so that he wouldn't attract anymore attention. As Ryoma went back to sleep, Sakuno looked at Ryoma from the other side of the room with a worried expression.

When lunch, the next period, started Ryoma decided to leave school and go home early. He went to the castle and straight to the library to look up symptoms for his condition. As he flipped through the pages Tezuka came in.

"What are you doing here so early aren't you supposed to be in school?" said Tezuka

"I wasn't feeling very well so I came home" Ryoma said nonchalantly

"Is that an excuse to skip school? You've never been sick. What's actually bothering you?"

"It's nothing. I'm going to bed" Ryoma said as he closed the book and walked out the room

After a little nap Ryoma woke up around 3, the time when Sakuno would be home. Ryoma turned into a cat and headed there to continue observing her, like his usual routine. When Ryoma arrived at her window sill Sakuno spotted him and lifted him up. She spun him around in a circle.

"You actually came back today. I thought that you might avoid coming here after what I did to you yesterday" Sakuno said smiling

At that moment Sakuno's hands accidentally loosened and Ryoma flew across the room. A thud was heard and then a sharp "meow".

"This crazy girl, she might kill me by accident if not by electric shock" Ryoma thought in pain

"Oh sorry I was too excited. I have so much to tell you today" Sakuno said as she walked to pick Ryoma up

"As I was going home it was so embarrassing! I was distracted so I tripped on the step in front of me. If that wasn't embarrassing enough I hit my face on a pole while I was trying to regain my balance. Everyone was staring at me as I walked away. I don't even want to remember it" Sakuno said hiding her face from the memory

Ryoma stared at her in wonder and then cracked a little smile.

"You must be thirsty I'll go get you some Ponta" Sakuno said as she accidentally bumped into a table when she rushed out. The empty vase shook and fell off the table onto Ryoma's head. Ryoma was taken by surprise by the sudden darkness. He tried to push the vase off his head but considering he didn't have hands it proved to be quite difficult.

"Oh my god…she really will be the death of me" Ryoma thought in frustration

Since Ryoma didn't want to expose himself he didn't use his powers. Because of that his neck started to become sore from the pressure. Sakuno finally came in with the cat bowl.

"What are you doing? How did you get into that silly?" Sakuno said as she approached Ryoma and put him on her lap. Sakuno gently pulled the vase off and massaged his neck. Ryoma unconsciously started purring. Once he noticed he quickly stopped.

"Why am I acting so weird?" Ryoma thought "Does she possess a special power to control demons?"

"Sakuno come down and help me with dinner" Sakuno's grandma shouted

"Coming" Sakuno replied "Now don't make any more trouble while I'm gone" Sakuno said to Ryoma

"Whose fault do you think it is?" Ryoma thought with a little annoyance. Once she left, Ryoma started looking around for magic books that she might be studying. He looked in her desk and under her bed but could only find girl magazines and her diary. When Sakuno came back into her room Ryoma had already made a mess and was on the top of her book shelf.

"What did you do? I was just gone for a second" Sakuno said "Get down from there"

Ryoma's body reacted and fell down on its own.

"Looks like the electric therapy I gave you last time is working" Sakuno said

At that moment Ryoma looked at her in shock as he discovered all his worries that day originated from her. From that moment Ryoma knew Sakuno would be his greatest weakness.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Sakuno, Tomoka's calling you!" Sakuno's grandma shouts

"Okay" Sakuno says as she goes down stairs to the phone "Hey Tomoka, what's up?"

"Hey, do you want to earn a little cash this weekend? Me and my friend work at a café but since she got sick I was wondering if you want to cover for her until she's gets better" Tomoka asked

"I don't know…I'm not sure what to do there" Sakuno said

"Don't worry it's really easy, I'll be there to help you too. We need more people at the café since its going to be busy on the weekends." Tomoka pleaded

"Alright…" Sakuno said hesitantly "I'll be in your hands"

"Great! I'll pick you up. Make sure to wake up early" Tomoka said

The next morning Tomoka arrived at Sakuno's doorstep. Sakuno opened the door and headed out.

"Are you ready?" Tomoka asked smiling

"As ready as I'll ever be"

Tomoka and Sakuno rode the train and got off a couple of minutes later. They stood in front of an anime decorated café. They entered the shop before opening time so that Sakuno could get ready and be instructed on the basics. When they opened the door Sakuno met a buff man dressed in a maid outfit with a lot of makeup.

"Is this the new recruit Tomoka?" the owner said as he stared at Sakuno

"Yea, she's my best friend. She's really hard working." Tomoka said

"Oh no no no" the owner said "She's going to need a lot of work. First of all she's going to have to get rid of those braids"

Sakuno looked back at Tomoka worryingly. "Don't worry. Just relax" Tomoka whispered

A while later, Sakuno came out dressed in a maid outfit with a white corset like top and a blue frilled skirt along with long white leggings that stopped above her knee. She had the usual maid frilled head band put on top of her loose long hair that had soft curls.

"Do I really have to wear this?" Sakuno said while trying to pull down the dress

"It looks really cute on you! You should dress like this more often" Tomoka said filled with excitement

"Now that's what I'm talking about" the owner said half singing

"All you have to do today is wait on the people in your area. Take their orders and bring their food to them, simple as that. If you have any questions just ask Tomoka-chan" the owner said "Get ready girls, its time to start"

The first couple of costumers came in few numbers. Sakuno was able to observe Tomoka for awhile until the real traffic hit. Around the afternoon the extreme otakus came in. Sakuno felt a bit uneasy from the stares that they gave and more so because of the way she dressed.

"Welcome back master" Sakuno said at the door way "How many will it be?"

"5 people" the leader of the group said

As Sakuno led them to their table, she thought she heard someone sniffing her hair.

"What would you like to order?" Sakuno said with a strained smile after they sat down

"We'll take 5 cups of water" the leader said as he pushed up his glasses

Luckily Sakuno passed by Tomoka who was waiting for the dishes to be prepared.

"I don't feel so good." Sakuno said as she put up the order "The groups of guys at table 5 give me a weird vibe"

"Ugh…it's them again." Tomoka said with a disgusted face when she turned around "They always come to check out the girls and only order the cheapest thing on the menu the whole time they're there"

"What do I do?" Sakuno said with a hint of fear

"It's okay. Just give them their orders. If they do anything I'll call for the owner" Tomoka said reassuringly "I'll be watching you just in case"

Sakuno grabbed the glass cups and put them on a tray. She walked to their table and cautiously put the cups down. As she put the cup in front of one of the otakus, he touched her hand before she could let go, acting as if he was grabbing for his drink. Sakuno flinched and retracted her hand quickly.

"Enjoy your drinks" Sakuno said with a forced smile

As she left, the group started murmuring while watching her.

"They hired a newbie!" said otaku A

"She looks really cute" otaku B said while breathing heavily

"Her hands are soft too" said otaku C as he touched his hand

"She seems like the shy type" Otaku D said "who keeps to herself"

"Calm down guys, don't cause a ruckus" the leader said

After a few hours the group finally left. Sakuno let out a sigh and finished the rest of the day easily.

"How was your first day?" Tomoka asked as they headed home

"It was fun" Sakuno said "Until those guys came…"

"They rarely come in. This was the first time in a couple of months." Tomoka said

"I guess it's alright." Sakuno said "They didn't harass me too much" she thought

Back at the castle Ryoma comes home after visiting Sakuno's home.

"Your home early" Eiji said "What happened to "observing Sakuno for her latent abilities"?"

"She wasn't at home" Ryoma said

"I know where she was" Momo shouted as he came into the living room "I can tell you if you do something for me" Momo said jokingly

"No need. I can find out myself" Ryoma said

"Che you're no fun" Momo said "Well, I saw her working at a café when I went out for a stroll. She looked really different."

"What do you mean?" Ryoma said

"Let's just say she looks very vulnerable" Momo said teasing Ryoma

Ryoma quietly left to his room before Momo could say anymore. The next morning at homeroom Ryoma was napping as usual. Sakuno and Tomoka came in talking about their job.

"You're getting the hang of this job. More costumers are coming in." Tomoka said

"Really?" Sakuno said smiling "I was worried I might be a burden"

Ryoma peeked though a crack between his hair and arm to listen in on their conversation.

"No you're not. The owner was nice enough to let us have the same schedule. Today we work at 4 so we have to head straight there after school" Tomoka said

"Okay" Sakuno said as she headed to her seat

When school was over Ryoma followed Sakuno and Tomoka secretly by watching over them from the roof tops. While they were working, Ryoma transformed into a cat and sat across the street in a tree. Sakuno seemed popular among the costumers since she gave off a calming atmosphere to the stressed patrons. The next few days went about in the same routine. Sakuno was about to forget the incident from the first day until the group of otakus came back.

"Table for 5 please" the leader said

Sakuno's heart stopped for a moment when she saw them enter the store.

"Follow me please" Sakuno said

When Sakuno handed the menus to them, one of the otakus grabbed her hand and rubbed it. Sakuno pulled her hand away.

"That's a nice pair of leggings" the leader said as he looked at her legs

"Yea, it looks nice and smooth" said otaku A

"Uh…I'll come back when you're ready to order"

Outside as Ryoma was watching, Eiji and Momo came by.

"She looks troubled there" Momo said "Why don't you help her?"

"Why?" Ryoma asked

"Well if your watching might as well help her." Eiji said

"Just go" Momo said as he pushed Ryoma off the tree

As Sakuno turned around to attend to the other costumers, one of the otakus reached out his hand to feel her "skirt" Before his hand reached her, Ryoma grabbed the otaku's wrist.

"Keep your hands to yourself" Ryoma said as he tightened his grip

Sakuno turned around from the noise and saw Ryoma. Her heart and breathing stopped for a moment.

"Ryoma-kun?" she said as her heart began racing

As she looked down she noticed Ryoma was holding the guy's hand. She moved away from the hand

"Watch your back next time" Ryoma said before he left the café

Sakuno stood at the same spot as her face turned red and her heart thumping hard. The owner came out with a foreboding force and lifted the group out of the café. Tomoka rushed to Sakuno.

"Are you okay?" Tomoka asked with worry "I'm so sorry! I got so busy and I wasn't looking…"

"It's okay. Nothing happened" Sakuno said while staring at the door Ryoma left from


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

As Sakuno walked to homeroom her legs felt heavy. She didn't know how to face Ryoma especially when her heart wouldn't stop racing. Sakuno thought to herself that she was getting sicker than the last time she visited the nurse. There must've been toxins still left behind. Sakuno opened the door and walked slowly to Ryoma. Her grandmother taught her that gratitude should always be shown to those who help you.

"Ano…Ryoma-kun" Sakuno said to get his attention "I'd like to thank you for helping me yesterday"

"It's no big deal. If I didn't someone else would have" Ryoma said as he got up into sitting position

"Oh, I see…" Sakuno said a little disappointed he didn't show more concern "What were you doing at the café?"

"I wanted to get some food obviously." Ryoma said

The door slammed opened with Tomoka giving a cheery hello. Tomoka ran towards Sakuno.

"Hey is that your savior over there?" Tomoka asked nodding her head towards Ryoma's direction "Seems like you too are getting along"

"Wha…what are you talking about?" Sakuno said blushing. Sakuno pushed Tomoka away from Ryoma before she could embarrass her anymore.

"Hey I still feel bad about what happened. Do you think I can make it up to you?" Tomoka asked "I'll buy whatever you want"

"You don't have to, I'm okay." Sakuno said reassuringly "Anyway I can't always depend on you when I'm in a pinch"

"It would make me feel better." Tomoka said "Come on just come with me after school"

"Okay…"

The teacher came in and started roll call. While class convened Sakuno was worried that she might be getting really sick and decided to visit the nurse again sometime. The classes passed by and soon it was time to tutor Ryoma. Sakuno sat a couple of seats away from Ryoma so that her "sickness" wouldn't act up.

"You do so well with the practice questions yet your test grades are not that great. Why is that?" Sakuno asked

Ryoma didn't reply and only stared intently at Sakuno, analyzing her every move.

"Is there something wrong? You've been looking at me for a while" Sakuno said blushing while looking at her hands

"Nothing" Ryoma said as he averted his gaze. After a moment of silence Ryoma asked "Do you believe in magic?"

"Huh?" Sakuno said startled a bit "Uh…well I don't really believe in magic but if it did exist that would be nice too"

"Is she really telling the truth or trying to hide her real identity?" Ryoma thought "But then again I still have yet to see signs of her using magic. Could it be that she's using magic without knowing it?"

Later at the end of the day Tomoka came over to Sakuno's desk while she was still packing up.

"Hey here's a crazy idea. Why don't we invite Ryoma along?" Tomoka asked

"No! Don't do that." Sakuno said grabbing Tomoka's arm to prevent her from leaving

"Why not?" Tomoka asked "Hey how about you tag along with us?" Tomoka shouted to Ryoma

Ryoma looked up at Tomoka, confused at the sudden request.

"We need someone to walk us home at night anyway" Tomoka said as she took Ryoma's arm and dragged him along

When the three of them reached the shopping precinct Tomoka and Sakuno walked around looking through stores for things Sakuno might want. Ryoma stayed behind them quietly like a shadow.

"Hey Sakuno have you decided what you wanted to get yet?" Tomoka asked

Sakuno didn't want to spend too much of Tomoka's money but she didn't want to make it seem obvious either. So far, in most of the stores Tomoka led her to the products were expensive. As Sakuno looked around she saw an affordable lip balm that had a cute design to it.

"Here. This one" Sakuno said as she showed it to Tomoka

"Are sure? Why don't you get something better?" Tomoka said

"No, this one's fine." Sakuno replied

Tomoka paid for the lip balm and the group headed out of the store. Tomoka stopped in place and picked up her phone from her pocket and answered it as if someone was on the other line.

"Hello? Mom? What? You need me to babysit? Alright, I'll be right there." Tomoka said while looking at Sakuno "I'm sorry I gotta go. You don't need to walk me home. You guys keep hanging out" Tomoka said while walking away quickly and giving Sakuno a wink

"What? Tomo-chan, don't leave me here by myself" Sakuno said nerviously

Sakuno looked back at Ryoma after Tomoka disappeared from view. There was an awkward silence as Sakuno and Ryoma stood there. Ryoma started walking and Sakuno followed behind. Sakuno took the initiative to break the silence.

"What are you going to do when you get home?" Sakuno asked

"Sleep" Ryoma said

"You're not going to have dinner with your parents?"

"No. I don't see them much anyway"

"So you eat by yourself" Sakuno asked with a little concern "Who cooks then?"

"I eat whatever's there"

"When is your birthday?" Sakuno said trying to brighten up the mood

"I don't remember"

"What you mean you don't remember? How can you forget your own birthday?" Sakuno said jokingly

"I haven't celebrated for so long I forgot." Ryoma said

Sakuno stopped trying to talk since it seemed to just make things worse. While they were walking Ryoma was thinking up ideas of how to test whether Sakuno had magic after all. He summoned one of his low class demons which normal people wouldn't be able to see. The mini demon circled around Sakuno's head and made funny faces but there was no reaction. It looked back at Ryoma and shrugged its shoulders. Ryoma urged it to continue with a stern look. The mini demon held on to Sakuno's head and totally blocked her vision. However, Sakuno walked just fine.

"Hey" Sakuno said

Ryoma stopped walking, thinking that she might have noticed something.

"Can you wait for me here? I'll be quick" Sakuno said leaving to go into a shop

"Perhaps I was reading too much into it" Ryoma said telepathically to the mini demon "You can go back now"

When Sakuno returned she had a box in her hand. She sat down at a nearby bench and invited Ryoma over.

"It didn't seem right to me for someone not to know the joy of celebrating their own birthday. Today will be your unofficial birthday. It's not much but here" Sakuno said as she handed him a cupcake with an image of Ryoma's head in frosting and one lit candle "You might not think its special but everyone's birth is a blessing"

Ryoma looked at the cupcake and smiled so small that it was almost unnoticeable.

"Worry about yourself first" Ryoma said

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sakuno a little offended

"I mean you should watch your step before you hit yourself against a pole again" Ryoma said smirking

"Who told you that?" Sakuno said flustered and embarrassed

Ryoma got up and walked away while Sakuno chased and kept questioning him.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

When Ryoma came home he was greeted by the butler.

"Ryoma-sama you're father is home and wishes to speak with you" The butler said

"What is he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be in a meeting with the other demon clans?" Ryoma replied

"He finished early and decided to go home" the bulter said

Ryoma went up the stairs and down a hallway into a room secluded from the rest of the home. He opened the big door to a candlelit room.

"Ah, you're finally home" his father said

"What do you want?" Ryoma said

"Don't need to rush. Sit down" his father said

A chair pulled itself up for Ryoma to sit with one shift of his father's finger. Ryoma sat down as ordered.

"Soon enough you'll inherit the throne. But you still have a lot of work to do before that happens." his father said

"Yes, I know that"

"If you know that then why are you coming home late instead of catching up on the current affairs of your people? And who is this human girl that you spending so much time with?"

"She's just a classmate"

"Either way, stop going to that school or near any human. We don't want a bad image of you going around." His father said "There's going to be a dinner with the nobles tomorrow. You'll be attending, don't do anything stupid."

"Yes father" Ryoma said with a clenched fist

After the talk Ryoma went straight to bed. The next morning he stayed home locked into his room by his father's magic. Ryoma had nothing to do but to study up on the current affairs. The air in the forest had a high concentration of mana. Therefore, his energy was higher compared to at school. After a whole day of studying, the time for the dinner party came. Ryoma got dressed and went to the dinner hall. As Ryoma walked through the crowds he was greeted by the nobles.

"Nice to meet you Ryoma-sama" one noble said "You look more like your mother everyday" he said smiling

Ryoma ignored the comment and continued walking. Ryoma was born as a half demon with a human mother. The demons made fun of him for that since humans were weak and filthy creatures in their view. Many didn't accept the fact that he would be the next leader but no one outwardly said that in fear of the King. This annoyed Ryoma the most because he could never trust anyone. Everyone tried to be his friend but would talk behind his back when they thought he was not around. Some liked to see him frustrated so they would drop comments about his mother indirectly. As the dinner prolonged Ryoma went to the balcony to avoid them. In the hall not far from where he was Ryoma could hear the guests talking.

"Did you see the prince? He looks more like a human than a demon. No matter what he does he can't get away from his tainted blood." Said noble A

"Watch what you say or else you'll be killed" said another

"What did I say wrong? His attachment to the humans will lead us to ruin. I heard that the prince's mother threatened to tell the other humans about the demons' existence in order to be with the King" noble A said "It would've been better if the King had another child with a real demon"

Ryoma broke the glass cup into pieces as he clenched his fists. Ryoma felt suffocated and decided to slip away from the party. He turned into a cat and exited through the door secretly. Ryoma wandered the streets which only had a few people. The cool night air and the stars in the clear sky calmed him down. During his walk, Sakuno caught sight of him because of an errand from her grandmother.

"Ponta! Is this where you go when you're not with me?" Sakuno said as she grabbed him

Ryoma struggled in her arms to get loose. He didn't want to interact with any humans especially after hearing the nobles. In the end he gave up because he was tired from the whole day. Sakuno took Ryoma to her room to play with.

"What's wrong? You're not as rebellious as usual" Sakuno said after settling down and changing into her pajamas

Ryoma continued to lie on the ground.

"Want to hear a joke? Maybe that will cheer you up" Sakuno said "Why don't cats play in the jungle?" she paused and then said "That's because there are too many cheetahs!"

Sakuno laughed to herself but Ryoma made no reaction.

"Hope you're not sick. Maybe you'll sleep it off." Sakuno said as she brought Ryoma up to her bed since she never made one for him

Laid out on her bed sleeping right next to her, Ryoma suddenly felt a mysterious yet familiar feeling. The warmth of her body warmed his cold blooded skin and the sound of her breathing put him into a deep sleep. The first time in a long time Ryoma actually felt safe and secure even though he was curled up in such a small bed. When morning came, Ryoma woke up in his real form. He quickly got up and left before she noticed anything. When he returned to the castle, the butler again told Ryoma that his father wanted to see him. Ryoma knew it would about the dinner.

"I'm disappointed in you. I told you not to do anything stupid and then you decide to leave the party when it just started." His father said

"Sorry…" Ryoma said

"Sorry doesn't cut it this time. You lost a huge opportunity to gain support from the highest officials."

"Then let me suggest you something. How about focusing more on living in peace with the humans than pleasing the nobles?" Ryoma said with a hint of irritation "Everyone lives in fear and separates themselves from the humans. We call them weak but we live in secluded areas."

"Humans are sensitive creatures and will try to kill anything they don't understand" the father said

"Then we'll have to make rules. That's why if you let me continue going to school I can study the humans more and understand their thought process. I can be an example of living in peace with them."

His father fell silent and stared into Ryoma's eyes. Ryoma had a determined look as he stared back

"Fine, as long as you keep up and deal with the problems at home. The demons come first. And stay home today to let the incident from yesterday die down, I don't need to hear anymore complaints"

"Yes father"

Ryoma returned to his quarters to begin reading the piles of reports sent to his father from the other clan leaders. He had a lot to read considering he was a week behind. His plan would need to be successful the first time or else no one support him as a king and there would be nothing his father could do.

After a couple of hours Ryoma retired and went to bed. When he tried to sleep he tossed and turned instead. This was unusal for him since his problem usually was that he slept too much. As Ryoma stayed still on the bed he noticed that the only sound in the room came from the cold wind hitting against the window and the footsteps on the marble floor from the servants passing by. Ryoma felt lonely and uncomfortable in the big dark room. Suddenly, Sakuno popped up into his head. The memory of warmth and security came back to him but it only served to make him wish for the real deal. Ryoma continued to toss and turn until it was time to go to school.

At homeroom Sakuno came by to Ryoma's desk after Tomoka pushed her to him.

"Were you really sick? You were gone for 2 days…" Sakuno said a bit shy after not seeing him for a while

"Yea, I had a cold" Ryoma lied

"Uh, we have class duty together afterschool but if you're still sick you can go home if you want." Sakuno said fumbling with her hands

"Its okay, I'll be there"

As Sakuno left to her seat, Ryoma watched her from the corner of his eye, wondering why she appeared in his head earlier. The rest of the day passed by as expected, with girls talking about their boy problems and guys talking about their video games. After everyone left to go home Ryoma and Sakuno started cleaning the room. Sakuno cleaned far away from Ryoma while peeking at him from time to time. While she wasn't looking she bumped into the storage locker and the textbooks on top tipped over. Sakuno didn't notice anything until Ryoma ran and hit the books away with his broom.

"I guess your balance isn't the only thing you need to improve" Ryoma said

Sakuno looked a Ryoma, surprised at what just happened and how quick he was.

Sakuno kept a distance from Ryoma as she continued cleaning. As she was backing away she bumped into a desk and the chair on top of it dropped on to the floor causing her to trip on the chair. Ryoma stared at her in shame looking at the ruckus and mess she made.

"I think it would be faster if I cleaned alone." Ryoma said

"Sorry, I'll be more careful" Sakuno said embarrassed

Watching Sakuno clean was scarier than seeing a horror movie. Every where she moved had a possibility of a brain concussion or body injury. Ryoma had to keep one eye on her while he did a poor job on his class duties. As Sakuno opened the storage locker to put away the tools, a rake left by the garden club almost fell onto Sakuno's head. Ryoma grabbed the rake in time while Sakuno was fumbling with the brooms.

"I don't know how lived up to this far. You really should invest in a helmet" Ryoma said as he held onto the rake

When Sakuno looked back she noticed how close they were. Ryoma looked taller and more handsome as she got a clearer view of his face instead of his hair when he looked down at her. As Sakuno looked at him, Ryoma felt the heat emanating from her. The heat felt soothing on his skin, like a constant gentle brush of warm air on a cold night. Ryoma immediately pushed the rake back into place and backed away before he brought himself any closer to her.

"Hurry up and put the stuff away so we can go home" Ryoma said

"O…Okay" Sakuno stuttered while blushing fiercely from the close contact


End file.
